Faces in new places for the 2022 MLB season

Just before the lockout came down in early December, New York announced to the world that this is really going to be a new era of Mets baseball under owner Steve Cohen. It took a massive three year/$130 million contract to do it, but the Amazins were able to lure righty Max Scherzer to Queens, giving them easily the best 1-2 punch in baseball with Jacob deGrom in the same rotation. Throw in fellow newcomer Chris Bassitt and the Mets rotation has a chance to be devastating in 2022. 

Corey Seager spent the first seven years of his career with the Dodgers, and between LA’s high profile identity and constant postseason presence, and Seager’s general excellence, he became a household name almost immediately. With a lifetime slash line of .297/.367/.504 in nearly 2500 big league at-bats, and at only 27-years-old, Seager was quite obviously going to find a massive contract in free agency. That deal ended up coming from Texas, which locked him up with a 10 year/$325 million pact.

Seager wasn’t the only huge splash the Rangers made in free agency. They also lured veteran infielder Marcus Semien to Texas–someone they got to see up close and personal for many years while he was in Oakland. Already a star player, Semien took his game to the next level with the Blue Jays in 2021, launching 45 homers and driving in 102 runs, easily new career highs for him in both categories. He made his first all-star team, won his first Gold Glove award, and captured his first Silver Slugger. Texas paid him handsomely in free agency to come back to the AL West, and it’s hopeful he and Seager can lead their return to prominence in the American League. 

Sticking in the AL West, knowing the same thing the Rangers do about the division potentially being more up for grabs, the Mariners are determined to make 2022 the year their long postseason drought comes to an end. Seattle was very good a year ago and came just two games short of a postseason berth. To try to get over the hump, they went out and landed the defending AL Cy Young winner, Robbie Ray. In Toronto last season Ray was spectacular, pitching to a 2.84 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP while striking out a league-leading 248 hitters. Anything close to that level of production would be welcomed in the Pacific Northwest. 

With Ray departing, Toronto needed to make a splash to replace him, and they feel they did just that with the addition of Kevin Gausman, who’s coming off easily the best season of his career. In San Francisco last year, the righty went 14-6 with a 2.81 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP, leading a Giants staff that played a key role on a club that won 107 games. The Jays paid the veteran handsomely, and they’re banking on his breakout season not being a fluke. 

One of the more polarizing players in baseball, Javy Baez, had a bit of a whirlwind of a 2021 season. Part of the Cubs’ veteran core that brought a title to the Windy City six years ago, the veteran found himself as one of many Cubs shipped out of Chicago at the trade deadline last summer. He landed in Queens where he was reunited with his good friend Francisco Lindor and shifted to second base to accommodate his buddy. His Mets tenure was up and down, as offensively he performed well, but had a head-scratching incident with the fans and ultimately was not able to help New York reach the postseason. He was able to find a lucrative contract on the free-agent market though, joining an up-and-coming Tigers team where he will be able to slide back to his preferred shortstop position. 

Speaking of departing Mets. Right-hander Marcus Stroman somewhat quietly pitched fantastic in New York a year ago, delivering a 3.02 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP across 33 starts. The veteran brings energy and confidence to a Cubs team in transition, and he should quickly become a key component and a leader on his new team. 

Under Steve Cohen, the Mets are clearly targeting a World Series title in the very near future. With a managerial opening, this winter New York quickly zeroed in a skipper with close to 3100 Major League games under his belt, Buck Showalter. This represented a stark change of direction from the Mets’ previous two managers–Luis Rojas and Mickey Callaway–both of whom were first-time big league skippers. 

The Rangers’ spending spree did not end with position players. Righty Jon Gray was the #3 overall pick in the 2013 draft, and while he didn’t quite live up to the hype that comes with being picked that high, in Colorado he was a more than serviceable rotation piece. Gray boasts a winning career record–saying something while he was pitching for a mostly noncompetitive Rockies team–with a lifetime 4.59 ERA. Texas is counting on a change of scenery and elevation unlocking a new dimension for him. 

Bob Melvin has long been one of the most respected managers in the big leagues, but even still, this was a strange development to watch from the outside looking in. Already under contract to manage the A’s in 2022, Oakland let Melvin talk to and then accept the Padres managerial opening without asking for any sort of compensation from San Diego. The Athletics explained afterward that they didn’t want to complicate the process for Melvin out of respect for the job he did for them for a long time and the fact that the Padres were willing to offer him long-term security. His Oakland contract would’ve expired at the end of 2022 and for an A’s team that is entering a deep rebuild, they didn’t believe it would any longer be a fit for him. 

The Mets’ newfound commitment to trying to win a championship is certainly refreshing to the fans of the orange and blue, and yet another example of this mindset is the team’s free-agent addition of outfielder Starling Marte. Splitting last season between Miami and Oakland, Marte was simply spectacular, slashing .310/.383/.458 with 12 homers, 55 RBI, and 27 doubles. Perhaps most notable were his league-leading 47 stolen bases, and that type of speed is an element the Mets have sorely missed in recent years. 

Left-hander Steven Matz spent the first six years of his big league career in New York with the Mets, but particularly after the pandemic truncated 2020 season, it was clear he needed a change of scenery. And when the Mets traded him to Toronto ahead of the ’21 campaign, he seemed to be rejuvenated. In 29 outings for Toronto Matz was able to turn in a 3.82 ERA across 150.2 innings, and he parlayed that performance into a nice free-agent agreement in St. Louis. 

With two future Hall-of-Famers atop their rotation in Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer, the Mets rotation was already imposing. And then they went out and traded for Oakland’s ace, Chris Bassitt. The righty might not be known well enough on the national scale, but that is about to change in 2022 when he pitches on a bigger stage. With the Athletics in ’21, Bassitt turned in a 3.15 ERA in 27 starts, while delivering a 1.06 WHIP and holding the opposition to a .218 batting average. This is a guy who could be the ace of most teams, and the Mets are slotting him in 3rd on their starting staff. 

To me, this was the most head-scratching move of the offseason. We are not that far removed from the Rockies trading away the face of their franchise–Nolan Arenado–AND over $50 million dollars to help convince St. Louis to take on the entirety of his contract. Colorado’s direction was justifiably questioned at the time, and 13 months later they hand another giant contract to a right-handed slugger? Sure Bryant is a star, but trying to understand what the Rockies are trying to do will make your head spin. 

This is one that never would have been able to happen were it not for the DH coming to the National League in 2022. At 41-years-old Cruz is very much a DH only at this stage of his career, but he remains a serious threat in the batter’s box. Splitting last season between Minnesota and Tampa Bay, the veteran hit .265 with 32 homers and 86 RBI, and the Nationals are hopeful he’ll help protect superstar Juan Soto in the middle of their line-up. 

The Houston Astros have been the most successful team in the American League the last half dozen years, but the loss of Correa might be the line in the sand that marks their regression. Houston had already watched stars like Gerrit Cole and George Springer depart and still made it to the World Series last fall. But Correa in large part was the heart and soul of their core. Last season the veteran slashed .279/.366/.485 with 26 homers, 92 RBI, and 34 doubles. He’s always been a primetime performer and has thrived in October, in addition to being a renowned leader, and his presence on the Twins changes the way they’re viewed league-wide. 

Here is the absolutely most stunning name on this list. Freddie Freeman was supposed to be a lifetime member of the Atlanta Braves, a modern-day Chipper Jones. Fresh off of leading Atlanta to the 2021 World Series title, Freeman entered free agency, but nobody actually felt as if he would leave. The longer he lingered on the open market, though, this possibility started to grow legs. And those legs started to run full speed after the Braves traded for Oakland’s Matt Olson. Freeman landed on his feet, inking a long-term pact with his hometown Dodgers, but he made it clear in his introductory press conference that he was bitter over the way things ended with Atlanta. 

Pivoting to the other side of the Braves/Freeman saga, Atlanta’s trade for all-star first baseman Matt Olson was immediately met with mixed reviews by their own fans and league executives alike. For reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with Olson himself. The left-handed slugger is a tremendous player, as evidenced by the .271/.371/.540 slash line he turned in last year while crushing 39 homers and driving in 111 runs. He swatted a career-high 35 doubles, racked up 305 total bases, and was invited to participate in the home run derby. He also owns two career Gold Glove awards. But there continues to be widespread disbelief over the fact that rather than just re-sign the face of their franchise, Atlanta traded four promising young prospects to acquire a nearly identical–albeit younger–version of the same player. 

One of the players’ most critical concerns during the terse CBA negotiation was the obviousness that some teams are not trying to compete. Well, somebody should have told the A’s. Oakland has traded away just about every prominent player on the roster, including their three-time Gold Glove-winning third baseman Matt Chapman. The veteran had a down year offensively last season, hitting only .210–albeit with 27 bombs— but he’s arguably the best defensive player in the American League. And if he can bring his average up even 25-35 points in 2022 he should return to the all-star game in the American League. 

With two projected dynamos in their division in the Braves and Mets, Philadelphia knew they needed to add some thump to their offense if they wanted to compete. And adding left-handed slugger Kyle Schwarber represented a great start. The veteran split last season between Washington and Boston, crushing 32 home runs and delivering an impressive .928 OPS. In hitter-friendly Citizen’s Bank Park, Schwarber’s offensive potential is endless. 

Continuing to upgrade their offense, the Phillies went out and signed right-handed hitting Nick Castellanos, who helps transform this offensive attack into one of the most dangerous in the game. In Cincinnati a year ago the 30-year-old hit .309 with 34 bombs and 100 RBI. Philadelphia might lack the pitching some of their division rivals possess, but this line-up now houses the likes of Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Kyle Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, and Castellanos, and should be able to score enough runs to overshadow some of their pitching struggles. 

Trevor Story was incredibly vocal about his displeasure in Colorado after the Rockies traded away Nolan Arenado, and it was downright stunning that he wasn’t dealt at the trade deadline last summer. Playing the entire season in Denver, the veteran did not have his best year but still hit .251 with 24 homers and 34 doubles. Joining a Red Sox team with serious playoff aspirations may well rejuvenate him, and a return to the level of performance that made him an all-star in both ’18 and ’19 would not be surprising. 

Yankees fans are not all that happy with the Bombers’ offseason, and heading into 2022 it’s entirely realistic to envision New York as the 4th best team in their own division. The headlining addition they did make, is veteran third baseman Josh Donaldson, although early opinions of this trade are not promising. The Yankees sent infielder Gio Urshela and catcher Gary Sanchez to Minnesota to bring in Donaldson, a still powerful right-handed bat–albeit one that struggles to stay healthy, and shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The move looked worse for the Bombers when the Twins used the savings from shedding Donaldson’s contract to sign Carlos Correa. 

The defending champion Atlanta Braves’ bullpen was already very good, and the addition of three-time all-star closer Kenley Jansen obviously makes it even better. The longtime Dodgers’ stopper was tremendous in 2021, nailing down 38 of 43 save chances with a 2.22 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP. Opponents hit just .153 against the righty and he struck out 86 hitters in 69 innings. Lefty Will Smith was solid in the closers’ role for Atlanta a year ago, but Jansen will assume the role now, sliding everyone down an inning in this relief corps and making it incredibly deep. 

Outfielder Andrew McCutchen was not in Philadelphia for very long, but he turned into a fan favorite in the City of Brotherly Love almost instantly. Last year the veteran slashed .222/.334/.444 with 27 homers and 80 RBI, and his ability to keep a club loose and motivated is a benefit in and of itself. Milwaukee expects to contend for the NL Central crown in 2022, and they fully expect McCutchen to play an important role in their success.